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Boulder County medical marijuana caregiver sentenced to 9 years in federal prison

Stylios Alton Trachanas previously convicted of murder in Texas

By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
07/10/2012 02:47:53 PM MDT

Updated:
07/10/2012 05:37:19 PM MDT

A former Boulder County medical marijuana caregiver was sentenced to more than nine years in federal prison on gun and drug charges Tuesday.

Stylios Alton Trachanas, 41, was sentenced to 110 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Brooke Jackson in Denver.

Trachanas — who had three prior convictions in Texas, including one for first-degree murder — pleaded guilty in March to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of a destructive device.

“The defendant, a convicted felon, endangered his family and his community by illegally possessing an extremely dangerous weapon, and by operating an illegal marijuana grow in a small, enclosed space,” U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a statement. “It is clear that this lengthy prison sentence will protect the public for years to come.”

On April 15, 2011, near Vermillion Road in Boulder County, several witnesses reported hearing a large amount of gunfire. One witness was able to record the license plate of a car driven by the shooter.

Investigators went to the home of the car’s owner and smelled a strong odor of marijuana. Officers were able to obtain a search warrant for the house and found between 50 and 100 marijuana plants in the basement as well as growing equipment and 46 ounces of dried marijuana, according to prosecutors. They also found paperwork that indicated Trachanas was a caregiver under Colorado state law to at least nine people.

Investigators also found weapons in the garage, including a 12-gauge shotgun, a .380-caliber pistol with a suppressor, a 9 mm pistol, an M12 pistol and various ammunition.

The case was investigated by the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“ATF will not tolerate convicted felons threatening our communities by recklessly putting the citizens of Colorado in danger,” said Andrew Traver, special agent in charge of the ATF, Denver Field Division, in a statement. “We will continue with the mission of ATF by combining our resources with our state and local partners in the fight against violent crime.”

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